The Untold Stories Of Amestris A Fullmetal Alchemist Series
by Flicker-j.sH
Summary: A series, starting at the time of the Ishbal War, showing the untold storied of many Amestrians, as well as some untold stories from characters such as Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Alex Armstrong, Maes Hughes, Olivier Armstrong, Isaac Mcdougal and others. This will be all original content, I will not re describe a scene you have already seen or watched.
1. Starting The Fire

Before we start, Amestris is a large country, and there are many stories that were not told.

This story is meant to be as canon as possible, it will start off around the time of the Ishbal Civil War. There will be many original characters, but I will try to tell the untold stories of main characters as well. Expect some Roy, Riza and Maes to come in, as well as some stories from the Briggs and the infamous Armstrong family.

I will promise you right now, if you have seen a scene from the anime, or manga, I will not re-describe it for you. This will be all original content.

Now, if you wish to skip right to the story, ignore the rest of the bold print, if not, take a second and read. Hope you enjoy it.

Josh

** As for what you are getting into, I love the Ishbal Civil War. Yes that sounds pretty messed up, like someone saying "I love WWII" but the Ishbal war has so many stories to be told. The sheer amount of alchemists that were gathered into that small area makes it a brewing ground for awesome stories. Second, I love the Briggs, the cold, brutal atmosphere and its unique characters are very intriguing, and the story will without a doubt move to this area after the Ishbal War is complete.**

** Another big part of this story will be alchemy itself. I personally found the idea of alchemy to be quite interesting. It is all so scientific. I may go on rants about my personal ideas of how alchemy works, and I will try to introduce interesting styles of alchemy, not simply say "Blank uses lightning alchemy, she snaps her fingers and uses static electricity" This seems to be a prevalent idea with OC's. In fact, lightning alchemy seems much more difficult, and I hope to maybe research real lightning and come up with a plausible way to make it usable, but that will not be for a while. End Rant.**

Prelude

The cries of outrage were drowned out by screams of pain. Hands reached for side arms, but paused before coming back up to slashed throats. A flutter of cloth as a hand caught a wrist, disarming then bringing the arm out, then back. The crack of a bone was followed by a deafening gunshot and a startled cry suddenly became faint. Suddenly the gunshots became rapid. She looked up for a second again. The blue clothed figure had a handgun held in one hand and what looked like a combat dagger in the other. A split second later, the gun was somewhere on the floor with all bullets spent, and the dagger was buried in the chest of another Amestrian soldier. Then, the strangest thing happened. The blue clothed man struck at another soldier's throat, and flashed with blue lightning as the air suddenly dropped a few degrees. The soldier dropped immediately, a pale hue in his face. As his head connected with the floor, his whole neck shattered like it was painted glass. The woman on the floor gasped, "Alchemy?!"

Chapter One. The Journey West.

East City, 1900

"Why is daddy always listening to the radio." The pale blue eyes of 9 year old Nikoli Zhan stared upwards into his mother's eyes. She simply smile.

"He is worried of course. So much is going on right now, especially with the Ishbals." She looked away and murmered quietly, "Maybe we should have taken grandfather's idea and headed east, there is no way that Xing could be any less safe than here." Nikoli glanced up at her questioning, but she dismissed his unspoken questions with a glance. With a quick look at her watch, she promptly left the room, leaving his questioning gaze wanting. His father was a Major in the military, officially, but in reality was nothing more than a researcher. Having spent much of his younger years researching alchemy, he seemed to have centered his focus on one area, an area that the military was very interested, lightning. Of course, the idea of blasting bolts of electricity was appealing, but with many other things, reality was much different. Nikoli still could remember the times he would sneak out of bed, creep along and eavesdrop on his father at work.

"It is impossible! Even if enough static was created, how would it be aimed? It would be impossible to control! The closest area to discharge would the ground, and the path of least resistance would be the alchemist himself!" Nikoli's father groaned to himself, his hands pressed up to his temples. He must have noticed something was up though, as he magically turned to glance Nikoli, barely visible in the dark hallway, peeking out from the corner of the wall.

"Niki! What are you doing up so late? Come here young man!"

Busted, Nikoli thought to himself. "My name's not Niki! That's a girl's name!" he blurted out, hoping to redirect the conversation from his late night sneaking. It failed of course as father's eyes seemed to pierce right through him.

"Well, then, I am sorry SIR Nikoli. You weren't awoken by Daddy talking to himself were you?"

Nikoli giggled to himself, "No Daddy, I came to see what you was doing." He said with a large grin.

"What you WERE doing, you mean; and as always, Daddy is working, clutching at straws as he tries to build his dream. Niki, when you grow up, I want you to find something useful to do, not this silly alchemy." Nikoli's father said with an exasperated look.

Nikoli giggled at the memory, and then became sad as he looked over to his father's empty desk. Where was he? It seemed like he was always working, and when he wasn't at work, he was too busy to even say hello. Nikoli frowned deeply before returning to his toys. Like mom always said, "Sometimes adults have to do adult things, they don't always get to relax and play, so make sure you enjoy yourself now."

Nikoli's mother did not have time for such childhood enjoyments, she was on the phone, eyes full of worry, not that he could see of course from the other end, but he could definitely hear her.

"Charles, do you think it will come to… come to that? W-war?" She asked quietly, hoping for a swift "NO." The pause only made her heart sink lower.

"Look Dear, you know that this country has a history, I do not know how far this could go! It's like shooting fireworks next to a powder keg, who knows what will set it off. If it happens, you know what to do, you take Nikoli, and you get the hell out of here! You hear? No stopping for me, I will come if I can, but you just run, get to Xing, get someplace safe."

"I...I don't want to lose you, Charles, I'm scared; I'm so scared Charles…"

She wept softly to herself, blocking out the rest of the world as Charles silently listened on the other line. From the top floor bedroom, young Nikoli pulled his covers up higher, listening to his mother's sobs.

6 years later, Present Day.

The harsh sun beat down on Nikoli's head, his Xingese rice hat, (a name his grandfather absolutely hated, calling it that in front of him would have been followed with a swift beating.) It was nothing compared to the harsh desert behind him. It really had been 5 years; 5 years since the declaration of a civil war, and the Ishbalian extermination began. That night, his Mother did exactly like she promised. She bundled together enough supplies, and grabbed him and took off. A short bus ride east, then a bribed caravan ride to the border. That bloody desert, it seemed to suck the moisture right out of your mouth. Nikoli smiled to himself, remembering his first moments in Xing, the bamboo forests and the odd wildlife, and of course, his grand uncle and his seemingly calm exterior that concealed his eccentric interior. A small chuckle escaped; then turned into a grunt as he collided with a solid blue uniformed mass. Suddenly sitting on the sand, he looked up to a solid mass of muscle, topped with a lock of golden hair.

"Hmmm, little boy, you have an interesting hat there. Have you checked in at the boarder yet? Can't have people sneaking over without us knowing."

Normally getting questioned by a massive man in a uniform would have been intimidating, but this man's voice seemed to have a deep kindness in it. Glancing up, Nikoli could have sworn there was something shiny, no something sparkling around the man's head. He blinked his eyes rapidly, wondering how hard he had landed.

"N-n-no sir, I haven't yet. I'm Amestrian, coming back from an, uh vacation. Yes, spending some time away from home sir." The man looked down on him questioningly, but despite Nik's stereotypical Xing hat, he was only one quarter Xingese, and three quarters Amestrian. He smiled innocently up at the uniformed man.

"Hmmm, well I guess I could let this pass, I will have to ask your name though." Before Nik could say anything, the man cut him off.

"I am Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the only son of the legendary Armstrong family, a family rick in culture, art and love! You have no doubt heard of this legendary dynasty?"

Nik tried to say something, but the Major was far from done.

"No? Well I will have to EDUCATE YOU!" His muscles burst his uniform. Nikoli recoiled in shock, trying to edge backwards away from the strange man. He turned his back and burst into a history lesson, most of which went unheard though because Nikoli turned and ran at the first moment that the Major's back was turned.

"…and at the turn of the century, the Armstrong family had- oh? Where did he go?" Armstrong turned in surprise. "Hmmm, I will have to tell him the rest of the story later then!"

Nikoli torn down an alley, half out of breath before a cold sounding voice echoed down, "You, maggot! Where do you think you are going now? This is our alley here kid." A rough looking young man; flanked by a pair of even younger, and rougher looking kids, stood at one end of the alley, wielding crude instruments that were barely deserved to be called weapons. The leader waved his jagged broken bottle.

"Maybe let's give him a couple scrapes, eh boss? Teach him a lesson he won't be forgettin' soon" The three boys started walking closer. Nik closed his eyes for a second. Xing was famous for its martial arts, and he had not spent 5 years there sitting on his butt.

Xing 1901

"Daddy who it the strange boy? Why is he here? Why does he smell so bad?" A little Xing girl squeaked as she pulled on an older man's shirt. The man smiled.

"That there would be your cousin Dai, I believe his name is Nikoli, am I right?" He turned, still smiling to the little boy. Nikoli looked up with a happy face before nodding." They both stood there for a second, content with life, enjoying the heat of the sun beating on their faces.

"Alright, enough. You son, have work to do. If a man does not work, neither shall he eat!" The man's face was just as content, but there was an edge. Nikoli frowned as the man grabbed his collar and dragged him down the dirt road towards the fields. Having come from the family of a State Alchemist, life had been rather easy, what in the world could his Uncle make him do for work?

He found out soon enough. By the end of the day, he was about to collapsed, having worked in the rice fields for the whole day. Without even saying hello to his mother, he passed out on the rough patch of rice stalks that these people called a bed. True, this was not anything other than what the other people living here did, but coming from the lap of luxury to this was a shock to say the least. In the morning, the kitchen table was a blur of conversation. It was mostly in Xingese, but Nikoli caught an odd word, something about the "Sensei" and lunch.

The man who had greeted Nikoli suddenly turned to face him. "Perhaps this boy could even learn a thing from the Sensei." Nikoli noticed he had switched to Nikoli's native language. The rest of the table seemed to follow suit.

"As long as he can still help out, I am sure the Sensei would love to pass some more knowledge on. How many children does he have learning and helping out? It is really wonderful, one child learns, then the child teaches 5 or so other children, who teach another group each. With him in the area, you can really notice the sheer amount of Alkahestry that is around, this clan has never been stronger!" A plump woman with short black hair piped in.

Nikoli wondered at what they meant by "Alkahestry" it sounded much like "History" which young Nikoli was most definitely not interested in. But, as the world seemed to work as an 11 year old, he was not included in the decision process. His mother frowned briefly as it "Alkahestry" was some sort of disease.

"The truth is, he always seems to want to learn alchemy, just like his father. I guess it must look different from a young one's point of view. Let him visit the Sensei, maybe he can at least learn some self defense. This Sensei teaches that as well, does he not?" She asked.

The table nodded with a chorus of "Mmm" as they continued their meal. Nikoli glanced around, but it would appear that his fate was decided.

Over the next months, Nikoli went with many of the other children in the village to visit the Sensei. The man was an elderly fellow. A long white ponytail sprouted from an otherwise bald head, and a long thin beard almost matched it in length. He taught the children many things; it was almost just like school back in Amestris. They learned about leadership, looking out for the younger children, the importance of helping their family, and keeping the family's honour. They learned about what the Sensei called the "Dragon Pulse" a force that flowed through life, from the tops of the mountain, down to the life below. They also learned how to fight.

East Amestris, Present Day

And fighting was something he remembered well. A harsh yell dropped him out of his short daydream as the boy on the left ran in front of the other two, wielding a wooden club. He clearly meant to have the first hit, and no doubt impress the young man and the other boy. He raised his right hand high and prepared to swing.

Nikoli had other plans though. With a quick step forward, he was suddenly much closer than the charging boy thought. Nikoli lifted his left arm, and slammed it into the inside of the boy's raised wrist, moving his whole arm and the club to the left. He then twisted, bring his right shoulder back, then slammed his palm hard into the boy's chin. The young man with his broken bottle had caught up, and apparently had been in enough fights to know stop and gawk. Nikoli grabbed the first boy as he started to fall limp, and shoved him back into the leader. With the sudden weight on him, the leader fell back as Nikoli jumped, not at him, but past him to the third boy. A stomp kick to the knee brought a crack of bone and a whoosh of air as he followed to kick with a swift punch to the upper stomache. The boy fell with a grimace of pain, unable to cry out with the wind knocked out of him. The leader had just managed push the first boy off of him when Nik twisted and slammed a foot into his head. The man fell back with a cry of pain.

Loud footsteps, like a group of men in heavy boots caused Nik to turn away from the fallen boys. A group of soldiers suddenly were far too close for comfort. A rough hand gripped Nik's shoulder and hauled him backwards. Other soldiers grabbed the fallen boys.

"Brigadier General Fessler! Looks like these kids were scrapping pretty good. You should take a look Sir, it looks like this one escaped unharmed. Nikoli struggled of course, but even with martial art training, a scrawny 16 year old cannot easily get out of being held by two burly military men. A man in a prestine blue uniform waltzed forward.

"Hmmm, looks like he is a fighter alright. Assault will not be tolerated in this city however, you have been found guilty of violating the law. You have two options. Death, or serve out your sentence in the military." The man spoke frankly, with a faint grin.

Even the soldiers were taken back by the severity. "Sir, but-"

"There are no buts Colonel, it appears we have a few new recruits for the war effort." Fessel frowned at the boy with a shattered knee. "Except him, he will not make a good soldier."

A single shot rang out as the boy jolted backwards, a new red hole in his forhead, rapidly leaking blood. The Brigand General just smiled and motioned for the soldiers to take them away. A soldier started forward to move the body, but Fessel stopped him with a glare.

"What do you think you are doing? Leave the trash." He said flatly, before walking ahead. Nikoli stood there stunned as the soldiers shoved him along, and then into a car. The younger boy was weeping softly, and the young man was just as shocked. Even the soldiers appeared to be disturbed, but they held their silence as the car drove true to a military compound.

Closing remarks

**Ok, so it started relatively slow. I did need to introduce a character, but rest assured, next chapter will start telling the stories of existing characters, and not just brief cameos from Armstrong and Fessel. I'd love a review, and please, if you found it even a bit interesting, try reading the next chapters when they come out, I hope to make them better than this. **

**thanks**

**Josh**


	2. Memories of Xing, The Armstrong Reunion

Chapter Two.

Armstrong family reunion. The soldiers ship out. Memories of Xing and learning alchemy. Skip the bold if to get right to the story.

**Authour's rant.**

**I thought about having a long, long boring section about military training, drills, and all that goodness. I realized however, that the ragtag groups of misfits always have a better story to be told. Expect Armstrong to come back for this chapter, as well as some regular soldiers from Fullmetal Alchemist. Armstrong is a very interesting character. It is hard to tell, is he really that open and obvious? Or, is it all an act, a disguise that covers a deep complex character? On another note, Fessel is a glory seeking twit, and unfortunately was not included on the Brotherhood anime. He was from the original manga. Yes, i know the whole "Join the army" thing was quick, but that is how it was meant to be. If Fessel could make it look like he was convincing droves of men to join the army, it would look really good. Abuse of Power seems like a very convenient way to do this. For next chapter, I am planning on making a chapter devoted the ordinary soldiers of the Amestrian Army. Maes will be there, and Riza, and even Rebecca possibly. There will even be some sections devoted to the Ishbalian points of view. Also, there is a debate between Ishval and Ishbal. I use Ishbal. Personally, i like Ishval better, but it started with Ishbal and I plan to stick with it. **

**Enjoy, Josh**

East Amestris. Present day.

Training? No, it would be a joke- no, an insult to call it that. Nikoli shuttered. Give them a uniform, give them a gun. Yell at them fiercely for the rest of the day. That seemed to sum it up. It seemed that the Brigand General would do this often, charge men with a crime only to force them to sign up. Of course, on paper it looked as if Fessel had been bringing in plenty of men, and the paperwork never mentioned _why_ the men signed 5 years of their life away, it only showed that they had indeed promised 5 years of service to the Fuhrer and his military. Thus a ragged band of street kids and criminals had formed. The group was known as "the Slums" by other soldiers. Weapons ranged from poorly maintained training weapons, outdating and obsolete firearms and rusty rifles that seemed to have gone through hell and back. Luckily for Nikoli, there were a few good men in the "Slums" Soldiers who had survived the earlier years of the conflict and readily passed on knowledge to the new recruits in an unofficial training program. Fessel didn't need to know that they were helping, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.

Fessel himself had said, "They are just going to die on the street. Might was well make them good for something. Who knows, it seems to me to be a perfect way to weed out some good soldiers, the weak ones will die first. Any survivors will learn quickly the way of the battlefield, and maybe even turn out to be good soldiers." His unspoken words were: Either way, I get a promotion.

Even the uniforms seemed to be of a cheaper make, or maybe they all itched like this, Nikoli thought as he walked down the camp, armed with a single bolt action rifle. He didn't even have a side-arm or combat knife. His trusty kunai from his time in Xing was stashed in his boot of course, but that was always meant to be a souvenir, not an instrument of killing. As he walked forward, he collided once again with a wall of pure steel.

Well, pure muscle would be more accurate. The kind face of the Major loomed above him. Armstrong was his name, wasn't it? His eye flick to a shiny object in his pocket though, was it what he thought it was?

"Well well, I can assume you did not join this great army to hear the rest of the Armstrong family history, although if by chance you did. I would happily oblige. The Major prepared to flex.

"Uh- No Sir no! I do have a question though! Are you, by chance, an alchemist?" Nikoli sputtered out quickly.

"Ah yes, the Armstrong family is famous for its unique alchemy! I will show you now-" Nikoli cut of the Major quickly.

"No thank you Sir, perhaps another time though, I am more interested if you know a Charles Zhan?"

"Hmmm, Zhan you say. That name is familiar. Of course! The DeadLeg Alchemist!" He replied.

Nikoli grimaced at the name. With age, he quickly knew why his father, who was paralyzed from the waist down, despised his Second Name. Long before Nikoli was born, his father had been out in a storm when a bolt of lightning toppled a nearby tree. The massive tree had nearly killed his father, landing square across his back. He survived, but not without lasting injury. The paralysis as well as breathing problems forced his father to turn to alchemy to earn a living.

Major Armstrong surveyed the young lad before him. "You do have his eyes you know. I can only assume you are related. How you ended up in the Slums- I mean under Fessel's command is beyond me." He pondered for a second before looking up. "I could tell by your rifle. My father has one in the kitchen, a memento of _his _time serving our grand country." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Fessel may not outfit his men well, but that weapon will serve you well if you treat it right."

Nikoli looked unconvinced at the rusty bolt action and ragged wood that made up his "rifle". "If you say so Major. I was hoping I could get a chance to talk to him. He is my father after all."

Armstrong sudden looked upward with tears in his eyes. "NO! The Sorrow!" His shirt burst as he flexed. "Oh the unfairness!" He yelled as tears poured down his face. Nikoli tried to speak, but he was swept into a bone crushing hug. "No one has seen him! He went missing in the midst of his researching! Many expected foul play, but then again, his family had left long before he disappeared!" Armstrong shouted.

Nikoli's eyes opened wide. "Foul play! What do you mean? Tell me, tell me Major!"

Armstrong gave him a vicious look, "It is gossip! There is no worse dishonour than spreading idle GOSSIP!" His eyes faltered for a second though. "Very well, you are aware of his research no?"

Nikoli nodded solemnly.

"Lightning alchemy, the force that robbed him of his mobility! He wanted to contain it, to use it! He was not alone in his pursuit though! Another alchemist, a General who had risen from the simple state of State Alchemist, also sought those secrets! The Deadleg Alchemist was pressured into working for this General before his disappearance; some claimed that the General had become jealous of his success, or angry that he would not share secrets with him. Either way, your father went missing, and lightning alchemy remains a mystery.

Nikoli was about to ask for this General's name, but Armstrong suddenly was running. "I have said too much! I will not be a gossiper. Best of luck child! Fight proud for your country!"

The Major disappeared from sight, running in a nervous manner. Nikoli was suddenly slammed from behind.

"YOU! SLUM SOLDIER!" and angry voice filled his ears. "We are DEPLOYING! GET YOUR ASS ON THAT TRAIN!"

Nikoli quickly obeyed, not even bothering to see who had issued the order. He ran straight to the train, not pausing to look back until he was in his cabin with the other Slum Soldiers. Only then did he contemplate the Hell that lay ahead.

"My son! My son has come to visit me!" The stocky figure of Philip Armstrong, the head of the Armstrong family, walked down the stairs of his mansion with precision and grace. His son stood rigid straight with honour.

"My father, I am honoured to be here!" Alex replied with a salute, before embracing his father with a massive bear hug, trying to pick him up. The shorter Armstrong would not have it though, he broke free from the hug, only to re-hug his son and lift him off the ground. Alex Armstrong let out a small chuckle.

Later at the dinner table, his mother and father seated him next to his little sister. Little Catherine clung to his arm.

"Brother! What were you doing? What adventures have you been on?" She asked excitedly.

"Well-" Alex cleared his throat. "I was in the East; I was helping train some new soldiers, bright lads. There were even a few cute ones you'd like Catherine!" He winked as his little sister became very red with a small smile on her face.

"Were they as strong as you, Big Brother?" Catherine asked with cheerful face.

Alex just laughed. In fact, the whole Armstrong family laughed, a deep loud laugh that no doubt had been passed down the Armstrong family.

His mother then looked with a serious face. "Son, how is it going to the East? We hear such rumours here at central. Half is hogwash, and the other half makes no sense. Do you think you will have to fight this so called "Civil War"?

Alex looked upwards, pondering. "It is no glory bath. The men tell me that it is more slaughter than anything. As for me fighting, I would no doubt assist them greatly if I did." He looked down. "I will follow my orders though, this war will not need alchemists help. The army could crush the rebels at any time. I am not sure why they simply let this draw out."

His father nodded approvingly. As a former General, he understood Alex's mindset. A group of rebels would be no match for the army, unless the military was purposely trying to kill each individual.

"Do you think that it is meant to be a true extermination Son? Slaying every man, woman and child would give these rebels' lion hearts to defend their land. It would also mean that the army could not force a surrender, as the army would only be satisfied with the death of all Ishbalians." He said with a frown.

Alex looked up with a start. His father continued. "Son, stay away from the East. Even if it means moving to the West division, or even hiding up North-"

"Would Olivier run?!" Alex shouted as he slammed his hands on the table. The table grew quiet.

"If not for your sake, then for mine." Alex's mother spoke. Alex's eyes welled with tears. He could not disobey his mother for anything. He bowed his head in respect.

"I will do as you wish mother.

"I can tell by your uniform, you are one of those guys drug into this war by Fessel eh?" A young man pointed at Nikoli with an accusing finger.

"It's not like I wanted it to happen!" Nikoli shot back quickly. The man just crossed his arms.

"Hmmmp I know your kind." His eyebrows scrunched up. "You wave your heartbreaking story around! You get all the girls, leaving none for the rest of us, the NOBEL SOLDIERS. We who joined BECAUSE WE WANTED TO HELP! Will any girls give us a glance? No! They are too busy ogling over your sad backstory!" The man sat down, having had stood up to deliver his lecture. The man beside him, an old scarred veteran, merely rolled his eyes.

"I think it might be those outbursts, rather than your lack of tragedy."

The man turned; his long ponytail of black hair swinging fiercely. "Don't get me started on YOUR tactics! You play the nice father card! All those girls go gaga over your little, Tough Old Man tactics! You just wait you old piece of-"

Nikoli just rolled his eyes. He reached out and patted the man's back. "Don't worry man. I'll take you out one day and you can claim to be my older brother, separated at birth, then brought back together by war! Those girls won't know what hit them."

The man stood silent. "You'd-you'd do that for me?" Nikoli nodded. Immediately, he was knocked over by a vicious bear hug. "I miss judged you, you are a gentleman! I was wrong." He yelled in the midst of the hug.

Nikoli tried to push him off. The man pulled himself off, and then with a rigid back, he offered a professional handshake. "The name is Andy. Last names are such a drag so I usually just go by Andy."

"It's because of his last name you see," The older man began. "It means-"

Wham!

"Shut up Walter you old man!" Andy slammed his fist into Walter's face.

The two started scrapping, but Nikoli just leaned back and closed his eyes. It was starting to remind him of Xing, he thought to himself.

Xing 1903

"I won! I won! Look mama, I beat that odd boy!" A girl ran to her mother proudly, dropping her training sword on the ground. Nikoli sat on his butt in the grass, trying to rub the red paste off his neck. The instructor stood with his arms crossed over his thick chest, smiling warmly. Nikoli just scowled at the back of the girl.

"And again." The instructor said unexpectedly. The girl had beaten Nikoli, not once but twice, and two out of three was a sure victory. Of course having a third round after losing twice was pointless, but the instructor used many different methods to teach his students, many that made absolutely no sense.

The girl frowned before running back to the ring, picking up her bokken and rubbed on another coat of marking paste. This paste, a unique recipe, was used to coat the end of the training sword, and would rub off when brought in contact of cloth, or even flesh. It was easy to make, easy to clean, and added even more embarrassment to the loser, having to clean a bright red smear off AND still have the bruise underneath.

Young Nikoli stretched his neck, before whirling his bokken in lazy pattern. The girl looked unimpressed. No doubt she wanted to end this at two wins and no loses, but she also seemed eager to win all three, and thus embarrass him more. He did not know why she disliked him, heck, he did not even know her name.

"Let's get this over with." He muttered in Amestrian.

"What did you say? Speak Xingese! Or are you too stupid?" She shouted out loud in Xingese. Nikoli's brows furrowed. Even after these years in Xing, his Amerstrian was still much better.

With a sudden smile he looked up and answered in Xingese. "I was saying, Your hair is very beautiful today" His Xingese was passable, it definitely was not poetry.

The girl actually stopped dead, literally halted in an instant. Her forehead scrunched up as she looked at him. Suddenly, A blade swung down, aiming for an instant neck hit.

She managed to lean back and block just in time. "Damn!" Nikoli thought to himself. "Almost had her."

He pressed forward, using long powerful swings to keep her off balance. She tried to regain her balance and mount a counter attack but Nikoli's flurry of swings kept her on the defence. She stumbled on a loose rock and dropped to one knee. Nikoli jumped forward, eager to have a least one win against her. Overconfidence quickly turned the table in her favour as Nikoli's overhead swing was deflected to the side by her blade. She twisted, lashing out with her foot in a leg sweep that sent Nikoli on his back. She lunged forward, hoping to score a hit on him. He managed to bring his blade up, stopping her swing as she stood over him. She lifted her sword to swing again, but Nikoli had drawn his feet up close and had landed a vicious double kick to her stomache. As she stumbled back, Nikoli rolled to his feet, lashing out with a series of fast slashes from different angles. He finished with a vicious, upward diagonal slash from the bottom-left to top-right, another stomache kick, and a quick downward blow as she fell back. A sharp pain in his abdomen stopped him however.

"Match finished. The winner is Sang." The instructor said in a clear strong voice. Nikoli looked down at her sword, pressed up into his stomache. As she fell, she had extended it like a spear, hitting Nikoli hard as he had jumped forward to end it. She put her sword down as Nikoli pondered the paste mark on his shirt. A smile came across his face. The girl had one hand on her stomache, obviously sore. He looked down and let out a small laugh.

"That was good. That was excellent. You fought really well!" he said in his "not perfect" Xingese. Again the girl furrowed her brow for a second before letting out a small smile.

"You weren't bad for a foreigner either." She said quietly as Nikoli grabbed her arm and helped her up. She limped back to her parents as Nikoli suddenly remembered that his stomache was sore as well, quite sore. He rubbed the point of impact softly as he walked back towards the change room. HIS mother, of course, was far too busy to watch a stupid sparing match of his. His instructor interrupted his thoughts though.

"You are probably wondering why I had you fight and lose another time yes?" He said in an even voice.

Nikoli looked up at him. "I did much better than the other two times." He thought to himself for a second. "Sang does not seem like that mean of a person either." He continued.

His instructor was beaming. "Friendship is a powerful force, one that can defeat any stereotypes or judgements. This was not only for you, but for her as well. Now rest your wounds young one. A much greater teacher will be in this village in a few days. If you are wise, you will learn all that you can from him." Nikoli looked upward questioning, but his instructor merely walked to the next set of duellers.

This new instructor was very different indeed. There was no sword training, no work out; not even a stretching session. The other children all sat in a circle around the aged man. His looked like his wrinkles were the only thing holding him together. He was talking about something called Alkahestry. Nikoli had heard it multiple times in the years here, but he had never seen it in action before. The man rambled on in monotone Xingese, drawing a shape on the ground. Suddenly Nikoli's eyes were riveted by what looked like a transmutation circle on the floor. "Alchemy!" Nikoli said quietly in Amestrian. The man looked surprised at him.

"An Amestrian yes? You have seen alchemy before." He said in surprisingly clear Amestrian.

Nikoli looked shocked for a second, then recovered. "I speak Xingese fine. And yes, my father was an alchemist." He spoke it all in Xingese, except for alchemist of course. The other children turned to look at him. Nikoli had always been relatively low in all the training exercises, and it was odd to have an instructor take specific interest in him. The instructor looked at him smiling.

"I will talk to you after this lesson." He said in Amestrian. Then he continued the lesson. Nikoli had become a much better listener though. He leaned forward, trying to catch every single word, still missing quite a few though. If only his Xingese was better. No one tried to transmute anything, but everyone seemed eager to. As the sun dropped low, the old man finally dismissed the class. As Nikoli stood to leave, the man's hand lightly touched his shoulder.

After everyone had left, the old man brought out a large book. "I have a feeling that you will not learn Alkahestry as easily as some of these children. Not everyone can, sensei before me only selected the best of his class to learn from me. I have no doubt that they will all learn it, whether it be fast or slow." Nikoli looked down at the slight put down. He was glad that the man was speaking in Amestrian. "I have always wanted to teach alchemy however. I learned it in my younger years when I was travelling abroad. I think that you will learn it quickly however."

The old man drew a circle on the floor, and then filled in three smaller circles, on in the middle, and the other two at the top and bottom, opposite sides of the circle. He connected them all with a straight line, than drew a curve from the center to the left and another to the right. Then he put a small bowel of water in the middle. "Think of this water, in your country, alchemists call it Hydrogen Dioxide. One part hydrogen, two parts oxygen. The simplest thing to do is simply to shape it." The man placed his hands on the circle as the water suddenly flowed upward into a column. "This can be done with water, but more frequently it is done with earth. There are two ways though, one that is specific to a certain material, and another that is indiscriminate. The basic way is to do it indiscriminately." The man drew another sign. "Using this I can take this dirt, which is full of multiple minerals-" The dirt swirled into the shape of a small ball. "-and form it to your wishing." Nikoli stood staring.

"What about the other way?" Nikoli stammered. The old man chuckled. He drew a similar symbol but with a rune in the middle.

"By doing this, you can extract certain materials, in this case iron. There are trace amounts in soil; however it takes considerably longer to draw all of it to you." The circle glowed and a small ball of shiny iron formed. It formed very slowly however. "For ground alchemy, this is not very useful, especially in combat. It is much easier to simply take it all. It does have other uses however."

The man turned back to the water. "There is much more to alchemy than merely shaping a substance though. The first step to alchemy to "Identify." This basically means to figure out what it is. The second step is decomposition, breaking it down into useable particles." The man picked up the small iron ball. "To make this, I freed the iron molecules from all other substances, and then shaped it into this ball. I identified the iron, broke it down, and put it together as I wished. As for this water-" The man drew a simple shape on the ground, then stuck one finger in the bowl and placed the other on the circle. The water started letting off steam. Nikoli watched as the man took out a small flint and a knife. He struck it sharply letting off a spray of sparks into the mist. Instantly a flare lit up, warming up Nikoli's face. His eyes were wide. The man smiled knowingly at his expression. "Hydrogen and oxygen. Together, they make water of course. Apart and in gaseous form, they are very combustible. A small spark and BOOM!"

At the end of the short lesson, the Sensei gave Nikoli a large book. "Read this. I know you will not finish it in one night. Take your time." He said before leaving the room. Nikoli ran home clutching the book tightly to his chest like a small child.

**Closing remarks.**

**Oh dear. My head is exploding, i want to introduce Nikoli's form of alchemy! Don't worry, lightning alchemy remains just out of reach. I have noticed a trend in lots of FanFictions. Original characters, (Especially when based on the Author) always end up being some sort of ULTRA GOD character that are near indestructible. I will try to make my original character an underdog, much like how Edward was not indestructible, nor immortal. If I ever stray to this path, yell at me angrily. Stay tuned for more action, as well as some more cameos from your fav characters.**


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